


To a Place Where You Belong

by Lilyliegh



Series: Camp Vrains AU [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Camp Vrains, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Camping, Demigods, Friendship, Gen, Magic-Users
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 12:32:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15630747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilyliegh/pseuds/Lilyliegh
Summary: As camp leaders of Camp Vrains, Jin and Kusanagi have their hands full as they rescue stray demigods from all manner of mortal places and bring them to Camp Vrains. Shima Naoki is one such duelist.Based on the series Percy Jackson & the Olympians.Part of the Camp Vrains AU.





	To a Place Where You Belong

**Author's Note:**

> so if you follow me on [tumblr](https://lily-liegh.tumblr.com/), you may have seen a lot of posts around this Camp Vrains au. it was originally an ask by [darkzorua100](http://darkzorua100.tumblr.com/) that spiraled into a combined brain-child. there's at least three of us actively contributing to this au, and both Darky and I receive asks about all manner of this series. eventually, it'll be a full series once both of us know more about the Lost Children and the greater plot of Vrains, but in the meantime this series will be focused on non-chronological one-shots detailing the happenings of Camp Vrains and its various demigods: the Disaster Trio (Yuusaku, Ryouken, and Takeru); and Spectre, Aoi, and Go. 
> 
> if you want to learn more about the Camp Vrains au, [check out these posts on my blog](https://lily-liegh.tumblr.com/tagged/camp%20vrains%20au) ^^  
> and if you would like to contribute to this series, with art or fic, please let me know and i'll make a larger collection. and of course, any ideas you have, please send them to either [me](https://lily-liegh.tumblr.com/ask) or [Darky](http://darkzorua100.tumblr.com/ask). thank you and i hope you enjoy!

Jin has been on plenty of trips with his brother. He's picked up demigods from all sorts of places: schools, parks, houses, and even the occasional trip into a mall. Then he and Kusanagi have dashed through the city safely transporting the demigod to Camp Vrains, all the while cursing and speeding as the hotdog van is pursued by various duel monsters chasing after them. It's always an adventure going out to find demigods; after all, the demigods themselves are often a danger.

It's no different today.

Kusanagi pulls the van up to the sidewalk, right out front of a high school with a long courtyard stretching several blocks back. They're in the heart of the city, and yet there's still a massive school spanning several streets. By the sheer size of it, the students must feel like they're in their own, private venue instead of in the core of Den City. But it also looks busy in there as students mill out of the front doors.

Jin reaches into the glovebox and extracts a series of manila folders. There are little names tabbed to the tops of the folders, and when he bends back the cover, he finds several pictures of kids. Most of them are high schoolers in their class photos, but there are also some shots of elementary school kids playing at parks. It would look much, much more suspicious to have a bunch of mugshots lying around in the glovebox were they not looking for these kids to rescue them before their powers took full form.

Towards the back of the stack is the folder he needs: Shima Naoki, a tenth-grader at Den City High and the presumed child of Hermes. Jin figures he's Hermes kid; he's got the energy and enthusiasm of the messenger of the gods, plus that heroic, sometimes trickstery, charm. They've been keeping tabs on him for a few weeks now, and today ...

"You see him?" Kusanagi asks.

Jin nods his head. He's not outside, but instead in one of the classrooms. Even from this distance, Jin can see Naoki cheerfully prattling on to someone.

"I'll go get him," Jin says.

Kusanagi raises an eyebrow. "By yourself?"

"I'll be fine," Jin says. "Wait for me by the car. Trust me, we might need to make a quick escape."

Kusanagi nods his head, and without another word Jin slips out of the van and heads through the school gates. He blends right in wearing the Den City uniform, and though no one must be able to recognise him, no one bats him an eye. He keeps his head down as he passes through the tall, steel doors and into the school. There are stairways leading up and down from the main lobby, and to his sides are hallways branching out into different areas of the school. Though Jin has collected demigods from here before, he's not as familiar with the layout.

But he saw Naoki in a classroom up above, so he heads up the stairs and into one of the hallways. Up here, there are fewer students, and most of them are heading towards the lobby. Jin brushes past them and keeps his head down. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Naoki in a classroom, and he darts to the side and peers around the corner.

It's just Naoki and another student in the classroom, both of them sitting across from one another. Neither of them have noticed him in the doorway, too focused on the game before them: Duel Monsters, a strategy game popular among demigods. It hones their intellectual and strategic strengths, and for some of them dueling is a physical sport.

Jin narrows his eyes. He remembers seeing something in Naoki's file about dueling ... and dueling in general with duelists often leads to ...

_ Poof! _

A glove appears on Naoki's hand—a large, red glove like that of a boxer. Naoki stares at it, blinking rapidly, but before he can open his mouth something  _ clunks  _ over his head. This time it's a helmet that covers his eyes. Well, that and it's on backwards. This time Naoki does gasp, and he pushes his chair back from the desk. He falls to the floor with a loud clatter. Across from him, the duelist's eyes widen.

"Naoki—"

"I've got you!" Jin says. He rounds the corner and rushes over to Naoki's side. He was expecting a duel monster to attack them, but this is another effect: a demigod's powers gone awry. Quickly, Jin bends down and loops his arm under Naoki's, and hoists him to his feet. Naoki retaliates at once, bending back with a gasp and a shriek.

"It's all right," Jin says. "It's fine. You're fine. Come with me, I'm going to—"

"What happened to him?" the other guy shrieks. "What even—"

But Jin pulls Naoki out of the room before he can get another word out. Naoki stumbles over his sentences, words slurring together and muffled by his helmet. He stretches up a hand to try and turn it around, but Jin bats his hand away.

"We'll deal with that in the car. Right now, I'm going to—"

"T-the car? W-where are you taking me?"

"To help you," Jin says. Naoki doesn't say another word, and it gives Jin the opportunity to weave him and Naoki down the rest of the stairs and out to the courtyard. Around him, students stop and turn towards them. They can't pinpoint what is wrong—only demigods can see the powers of other demigods—but they can tell something is off, and they stop in front of Jin to block him.

"What are you doing with him?"

"Hey, where are you taking Naoki?"

"I'm going to call the police."

"No, no," Jin says, brushing past them. He keeps a firm hold on Naoki, and uses his shoulder to brace Naoki's chest when his foot gives out—a boot appears on his foot, and rather than assist him, it drags Naoki down like a heavyweight. Jin groans as he pulls Naoki forward. "Excuse me, sorry, please move—"

The crowd doesn't disperse. Instead, it comes closer. Students pulls at him and Naoki. Jin clings for dear life and tugs Naoki away from them. He's not even twenty feet away from the van; if he can get in there, then Naoki will be safe. Then they'll just have to drive. But with each step he takes, someone reaches out and pulls him back.

"Let go—"

The weight on his arms and back disappears. His eyes widen, and he leans forward to peer around Naoki. On his other side is Kusanagi, head down and baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. His dark purple hair peeks out from the cap, and his chin and jaw are grizzled with hair too. He narrows his eyes as he steps forward, pulling Naoki and Jin from the human mob. Jin quickly gathers him bearings and pulls forward too. Together, they break free and dash the rest of the way down to the van, Naoki stumbling behind them.

Once they make it to the van, Kusanagi lets go and rushes to the driver's seat. Jin opens the back door and pushes Naoki up and into the back seats—or where the back seats should be, were they not ripped apart many eons ago and replaced with a renovated food truck kitchen meant for roasting weenies. Naoki tumbles forward and bonks into one of the doors.

"You're going to be fine," Jin says to him.

Under the helmet, Naomi gives a weak sob. 

Quickly, Jin slams the doors closes and hurries to the passenger seat. Just as the door closes the van speeds off down the street. He doesn't worry about his seatbelt; behind him, he can hear Naoki crying loudly in the back and bouncing from cupboard to cupboard with each hairpin turn Kusanagi takes. Jin tears his eyes away from the sight of his brother's reckless driving, and glances over his shoulder at Naoki.

He's a sight. His helmet is still on backwards, and with both of his hands in too-big gloves, he can't turn his helmet around to see. One of his feet is in a large boot; the other one is regular size, but the difference in foot size makes it near-impossible for him to gather his balance. A costume has appeared on his chest too: he looks a like hero, albeit a sad, pitiful one.

"Went well?" Kusanagi says through his teeth.

Jin glares at him, but softens his gaze as he slips out of his seat and crawls across the ground to Naoki. He feels every bump the van rolls over, or ever curb that Kusanagi hits on his way out of the city. Jin grits his teeth, but he makes it to the back of the van without smashing his head into the cupboards. He crouches before Naoki, careful not to touch him while his powers are bursting.

"Shima Naoki," he says, voice as soft as butter. "My name is Kusanagi Jin. I know what's happening to you."

Naoki shakes his head and paws at his helmet. Upon closer inspection, Jin sees that the helmet isn't stuck—his hands are just too big to turn it.

"You want me to turn your helmet for you?"

Naoki nods his head, up and down. He flinches as the van hits another bump, and even Jin clenches his teeth. They've driven down these streets plenty of times—does Kusanagi really have to drive so recklessly?

"All right, then I’m going to put my hands around your head and turn it around. Ready?" This time Naoki doesn't nod his head, but Jin feels the consent. He sets his hands down over the metal helmet. It's hot to the touch, like Naoki has a raging fever underneath it. But Jin doesn't flinch at the heat. He slowly begins to turn the helmet, noting if it snags or catches anywhere. If he startles Naoki, who knows what could happen.

_ Oh right,  _ Jin thinks,  _ he could blow up the truck. _

He's cleaned up enough accidents from the Disaster Trio this week. He doesn't need anymore.

As he turns the helmet once more, he catches a peek of Naoki's eyes—wide and green, flecked yellow around the irises, although the yellow is barely visible over the wideness of his pupils. Naoki looks like he's seen death. His face is pale and sweaty, and he drops his mouth open when he sees Jin.

"We got it off," Jin says. He smiles at Naoki and brings his hands back down to his lap. "Now, does anything else hurt?"

Naoki glances around him. Jin follows his line of vision.

"Are you perhaps wondering where we are?"

Naoki nods.

"Cafe Nagi. Think of Kusanagi and I as rescuers for demigods—which you are, by the way."

"De—demigod?"

"That's right. That's what's going on here: your powers are reacting. Trust me, someday you'll be able to control your powers, but for the first bit you might shock yourself at how much damage you can cause."

Kusanagi snorts from the driver's seat, and takes a corner so sharply that Naoki and Jin tumble to the floor. This time though, Naoki doesn't jump or panic, and his powers don't materialise; Jin is fortunate of this. No, Naoki lets out a  _ whoop of joy  _ and crows, "I'm a demigod!"

Kusanagi laughs outright. "That you are."

Jin feels his heart bubble up inside of him. It's a hit or miss whether that line works for demigods—whether they want to hear that their powers are the result of their lineage. Sometimes, demigods will challenge him, or try to break out of the van ... or set the van on fire. But Naoki gazes around the room with renewed hope. Frankly, Jin feels a bit anxious that Naoki is  _ too  _ complacent with this realisation.

"Naoki," he says, and clears his throat softly, "may I call you that, first off?"

Naoki thumps a big, gloved hand over his chest. "Call me Brave Max, my dueling name! I'm a dueling hero and a demigod!"

"Brave Max then," Jin says. He pushes himself up against the cupboards, bracing himself for the next time Kusanagi cuts a corner too close and tries to tip the truck over. "We're heading to Camp Vrains. It's a retreat for demigods, a place where you won't feel alone with your powers, where there are other people going through the same changes like you."

"And like you?" Naoki says, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you younger than me?"

Jin rubs his chin, and feels his cheeks begin to burn.

"You gotta grow a goatee, I'm telling you," Kusanagi calls back to them, "or else all these teeny demigods are gonna think you're a baby just like them."

"I like my clean look," Jin says with a huff. When he glances back to Naoki, his expression dissolves to a weary smile. "I'm older than you," he says. "Trust me. But ... I'm not too old that I don't know what you're going through. So when we get to the camp, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me. We'll help you out."

"We haven't dropped you in a ditch yet."

"Shouichi!" Jin hisses.

Naoki peers down the length of the van, to where Kusanagi sits in the sit. "Shouichi?"

"That's Kusanagi to you, kiddo," he says. "And I'm teasing you both. Besides, we're almost there."

Jin breathes a sigh of relief. Normally, these trips involve much more wild chases and disaster, both from the duelist's unstable abilities to the duel monsters that frequently chase them—

_ Crash! _

The van tips to it side. Jin's heart leaps into his throat as he feels the world world tilt, then spin, then right itself all in the span of five seconds. He tries to suck in a breath before his head collides with something, but the air whooshes right out of him when he tumbles into Naoki. The two of them roll together as the van tumbles to its side.

Even without windows, Jin knows they've been caught by a duel monster.

"Hang on!" Kusanagi calls back to them.

Then the van shoots forward, propelled by several rocket engines tucked under its frame. They don't use them in the city unless under dire circumstances for they tend to leave visible scorch marks, but out of the main city and under pressure, it gets them away from the creature trying to claw through the van. Naoki lets out a high-pitched squeal and tries to back away, but it triggers his ability and one of his fists shoots forward and beams Jin in the jaw.

"Sorry!"

Jin twists aside before Naoki can hit him again. He crawls forward and raises his head to see out the front window, and just at that moment the van tips forward, over the edge of the boulevard and towards the water below. Behind him, Naoki screams something about falling into the ocean, yet just before the nose of the van spears into the water below, the van rights itself and drives just above the water.

Jin breathes a sigh of relief as he hears the engines whir beneath his feet. Through the window, stars flicker and glow outwards and towards the epicentre of the sky. It looks like a path connected to the sun, yet across the water there is no sunlight but  _ starlight.  _ It cast a path across the water on which the van drives.

Jin bites his tongue and waits to see if the monster will attack them; it's happened before. But after a moment he lets out another breath and slumps back on the ground. They're safe on Stardust Road. They've all made it in one piece.

Kusanagi drives the car straight through the sun, and then reappear on a similar, starry path facing a floating world. There are several cities, all arranged in various islands built around a tall, glowing spire. These islands are levels, and there are levels both above and below them. Around them are smaller, floating islands, not attached the spire, but that would be mainly meant for hopping along or avoiding on a dueling path.

"Where—"

"Camp Vrains," Jin says. He glances over his shoulder to find Naoki right behind him, mouth open like a fish. His entire body quivers, and he licks his lips as he tries to get the words out.

A warm feeling swells in Jin's heart, like milk and honey combined. He rolls his shoulders back and says the two words he say to every duelist, no matter how terrifying or strange the trip here was.

"Welcome home."


End file.
